


How To Survive After Your Soul Is Broken Into Several Pieces, A Guide By Stephen Strange

by Tsukichii



Series: Time Issues [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, But she doesn't know how, IronStrange, M/M, Pepper want to help, Tony is dead and Stephen is sad, its sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:56:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukichii/pseuds/Tsukichii
Summary: (A tip, he can't)It hurt.His chest hurt a lot. Whenever he thought of spending the rest of his existence without Tony, a tearing pain tore through his heart in millions of pieces.That hurt more than his accident. He would have preferred a thousand times more accidents than that. That new reality he had created five years ago when he sent her husband to death.Aka: Stephen's prequel, before they came back in "How not to mess with the timeline" if had the funeral.





	How To Survive After Your Soul Is Broken Into Several Pieces, A Guide By Stephen Strange

Even the sky seemed to be in mourning, Pepper thought getting out of the car and facing the cloudy sky, a deep sadness in her being.

"Don't you want me to come with you?" Pepper turned her face to James with a sad smile.

"Get Morgan's things first." James just nodded quietly and Pepper walked to the pretty cabin that faced a lake.

Today was exactly three days after the fight against Thanos. Three days everyone came back. Three days since her best friend, Tony, died in Stephen's arms after saving the universe.

The redhead stopped in front of the cabin and, after a sigh, opened the door and entered.

Pepper looked around the hut where Tony had raised his daughter for five years, before striding down the hall and stopping at the inventor's bedroom door. The redhead felt a wave of sadness run through her body, but she took a deep breath and opened the door.

_“Can you take care of them for me, Pepper? “_

"Oh, Stephen ..." Pepper muttered as she entered the room, looking at the man sitting on a corner of the wall, away from the bed that had been Tony's for all those five years.

Stephen was still wearing his funeral suit, even after three days, his blazer was tossed in some corner of the room, his white dress shirt was rumpled and had several spots that Pepper couldn't tell whether they were sweat, tears or alcohol, his tie it was loose at the neck and the black pants were completely dirty. In the man's left hand was a bottle of whiskey almost at the end and at least four more empty bottles around the doctor. In his right hand he held a golden wedding band.

Pepper did not have to think hard to see that it was Tony's wedding ring.

Gathering forces Pepper walked over to the broken man.

_"I mean, I didn't want to throw it on your back after all you went through just being my friend, but I wouldn't trust them to anyone else."_

"I'm sure Tony wouldn't want to see you like this, Stephen, it wasn't your fault ..." Pepper reached down to him, placing his hand on the doctor's shoulder and giving a comforting squeeze.

Stephen ignored her, he was staring at the floor with a lost and broken expression. From his usually stormy, bright eyes, salty, painful tears ran.

Pepper stared for a moment, not seeing Stephen broken after his husband's funeral, but seeing Tony after he returned from Titan and when everyone thought Stephen was dead.

It was the same expression of desolation and loss that Tony had all those years ago and that made Pepper want to cry again.

_"You're the only one who can put me in my shoes when I do my stupid thing, I mean you and Stephen, but don't let him know that he has some control over me."_

"I killed him" Stephen whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "Of course it's my fault." Because of me, Tony is dead. My light is dead. ”He let out a tearful wail, bringing one arm to his eyes, not even trying to hide his sobs.

"It's not your fault, Stephen." Pepper knelt in front of him, her hands gently removing the bottle of whiskey from the doctor's hands. Not that it had any effect, since the bottle was almost empty. “He didn't hate you. I'm sure he understood. He knew the consequences and had no regrets. Remember, Tony knew he could die, Stephen.”

“How can it not be my fault? Morgan lost her father.” Stephen whispered “Peter lost his father. Harley lost his father. You and Rhodey have lost your best friend. How the hell is this not my fault?”

"Don't you dare, Stephen Vincent Strange," Pepper whispered furiously, tears falling from his eyes, shaking the man's hand. "Morgan still has a father. Peter and Harley still have a father. They still have you. Tony has told you so much about you that I bet she loves you as much as he does.” Pepper finished, with a trembling, watery laugh.

"How can they love their father's killer?" Stephen bent and bowed, releasing Pepper's hands and clapping his hands over his ears, as if trying to ignore the reality around him.

It hurts.

His chest hurts a lot. Whenever he thought of spending the rest of his existence without Tony, a tearing pain tore through his heart in millions of pieces.

That hurt more than his accident. He would have preferred a thousand times more accidents than that. That new reality he had created five years ago when he sent her husband to death.

Flashes and memories of the time he spent with his Anthony shone in his mind. The shy smile he gave her when they met in college. So many dates they had gone. Tony's bright eyes as he showed her his inventions. The day he proposed to Tony. The wedding day, seeing Tony walk along the altar with Rhodes, going to Stephen with a happy smile and bright eyes of unshed tears.

The sound of his laughter, his bright smile that always made Stephen's day better. His soft touches, his warm hug.

Everything is gone. Everything collapsed, everything died. Because of him.

Because of him, Morgan would never see his father again. Because of him, Peter would never go to the lab again, work with Tony, Harley would never curl up with Tony on movie days and complain about school.

How could he look them in the eye? How would he face them? How would he face his children knowing he killed their father?

How could he face those familiar Morgan´s brown eyes after taking her father?

He should have died. He.

Not Tony. Not his precious Anthony, never him.

Stephen sobbed and hid his face with his ruined hands. Nothing else made sense in the world. Not since he killed Tony, now everything was dark and gloomy.

Everything was now dark after he killed his light.

Pepper tried to get the doctor's attention, but to no avail. She looked at one of her oldest friends with a pained expression.

“Pepper.” The redhead wiped the tears in her eyes before turning to her husband, James Rhodes, standing in the bedroom door. He looked at Stephen sitting on the floor and sighed, walking over to both of them.

“James.” Pepper muttered, turning back to the wizard. "II don't know what to do. Tony asked me to take care of Stephen, but… Tony is dead and Stephen is broken, I don't… ”the redhead whispered, tears burning in her eyes. James put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly.

“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” He helped her up and back away from the wizard before lowering herself once more and lifting the man into her arms.

Stephen didn't care, very lost in his pain, his eyes unfocused on the world.

James looked at him for a moment before turning and walking over to the bed. The colonel stared for a moment before shaking his head. It was cruel to put the broken man in the same bed his dead husband had slept in for the past five years.

“Leave him to me.” Wong's voice echoed in the silence as he entered the room. Unlike Stephen, he was in his normal clothes. James opened his mouth when a red flash appeared right in front of him and went to Stephen, taking him from James' arms. "With us." He corrected himself by looking at the cloak. "Let's take him to the sanctuary where he can recover. No drinks. The magic will help him to rediscover his center again.”

"Morgan wanted to see him," James muttered solemnly, watching the cloak cradle Stephen as if he were in a hammock. The wizard didn't even move. “She wants to meet her other father.”

“Stephen is not ready.” Wong muttered, opening a portal to the shrine. He turned to the cloak. "Take him to the guest room next to mine. Don't take him to his room. It is the best.”

The cloak moved his collar and flew through the portal with Stephen before disappearing down the sanctuary corridor.

“What do we do?” Pepper muttered watching the portal close. James pulled her into a comforting hug. Wong looked at them both before sighing.

“I don't know, but I think we can only wait...”

_“Why the hell are you asking me this when we both know that when Stephen returns you won't let him go?” Pepper stared at the dark haired man, pointing the spatula she was holding to his face._

_They were in Tony's Lake Cabin kitchen, making lunch. Morgan was with his uncle Rhodey playing in the living room._

_It was a day before they began to gather the jewels of infinity over time to bring them all back._

_"Well, you know, it's never bad to be safe." Tony laughed nervously as he cut the potatoes. Pepper arched an eyebrow before scowling at him._

_"Do you happen to intend to die, Tony? Because if it is, be absolutely sure that I will resurrect you just to kill you again, you reckless idiot.”_

_"Of course I don't intend to die!" Tony exclaimed indignantly turning to Pepper, before sighing and looking away “I just ... Just want to cover all the bases. Of course I hope that after all this I can come home with my family and live happily. But...” Then he turned to Pepper before grabbing her by the shoulders and practically begging her “Please take care of Stephen and the children if something happens to me, yes?”_

_Pepper sighed before flashing a small smile at the brunette._

_"Of course I'll take care of them, Tony, but I won't have to, because you'll be here being all mellow with Stephen and I'll take care of the kids, who'll be complaining in the background because you two will be absolutely gross, I'm sure."_

_Then they both laughed and walked away, cooking again._

As he rested his head on Rhodey's shoulder, the memory of a conversation she had with Tony just a few days before it all flashed through her memory.

Pepper could only pray that she could fulfill one of the last wishes her precious friend had made her.


End file.
